Girl Talk
by shortierockette
Summary: In which Annabeth spills her soul, Piper comforts, and a new friendship and mutual respect are formed. SPOILERS! Percy/Annabeth, Annabeth and Piper friendship.


**Warnings: MAJOR SPOILERS for The Lost Hero- turn away now if you haven't read it!**

**That being said, I know there must be an awful lot of Percy/Annabeth angst going around right now, but this one wouldn't leave me alone! It was also a neat chance to show interaction between the previous heroine and the current. Slight language, but none of it unnecessary. If anyone seems too OOC, please message me immediately so I can correct it; I'd be horrified if anyone felt I was messing up these wonderful characters.**

**And, like everything on here, I don't own anything!**

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By the time Piper McLean made her way to the Aphrodite Cabin, all she had the energy to do was collapse face-first onto her bunk. During her first week after returning from the quest, she'd suddenly gained a new found respect for any camp counselors she might have known back as a little kid. Challenging Drew's leadership of the cabin had been one thing; actually being _in charge_ was another. It seemed like every time she turned around, there was some new task waiting for her to finish. Thanks the gods she at least had Mitchell and Lacy to help; without her demigod siblings ready and willing to help, Piper was positive there was no way she'd get everything done!

At least the rest of her brothers and sisters had lost their Queen Bee attitudes (mostly). The last thing she needed was to be sorting out disputes between cabins because hair or makeup was made fun of, or someone got a little overzealous with their matchmaking. Honestly, she had no idea how Silena Beauregard had managed; the only thing keeping Piper on track was knowing they were better of with her as head counselor than Drew.

These last thoughts drifting through her mind, she prepared for what was hopefully to be a deep, dreamless sleep. Considering how tired she was, Piper figured she'd be asleep in no time. But, considering her luck, she should have known that wouldn't happen. She'd be semi-conscious, almost asleep, when someone would shift in their bed and the springs would creak; or a log in one of the fires outside would crumble and knock the tee-pee log over; or one of the Pegasi down in the stables would snort and stamp in their sleep. For someone so used to sleeping through the usual nighttime chatter of the Wilderness School, it was rather irritating that now, when she really needed it, sleep decided to evade her.

Slowly but surely, Piper began working her ways through all the usual remedies. She pulled the blankets tighter around her; she turned her pillow over to the cool side; she then proceeded to punch said pillow with perhaps a little more force than necessary. Piper even resorted to counting imaginary sheep under her breath, which then turned into some of Leo's automatons and leaked oil all over the practice grounds. It didn't matter in the end, because any and all tricks failed. Letting out her breath in a huff, Piper pulled off the covers, stumbling around in the blackness for her shoes and coat. Slipping out the cabin, she closed the door as quietly as she could, thankful for the OCD-like tendencies of her half-siblings to clean top-to-bottom, as well as oiling the hinges.

Taking a deep breath of the cold, clean air, Piper felt her head clear instantly, like someone had taken a vacuum to her brain and sucked all the tired away. Great; now she was wide awake again, and back where she started. She sighed, and started making her way to the Hypnos Cabin. Maybe, with any luck, Clovis could give her some sort of sleep draft or something (if she didn't get caught by the harpy sentries first).

Despite the relatively even ground smoothed out by years of campers trampling over it, in the dark Piper seemed to find every pebble, root, and pothole possible to trip over. Not only that, but still being somewhat of a newbie, she'd managed to get herself completely turned around. The layout of the camp was quickly being committed to memory, but not enough for her to navigate in the dark. Grinding her teeth, Piper eventually just decided to screw it, and try and find her way back to Cabin Ten.

Turning around, she started back, when something caught her eye. A lone figure, hunched over, was sitting at the end of the dock overlooking the lake. Maybe it was instinct, or maybe she was just curious, but Piper abruptly changed course towards the docks. From the distance, and combined with the dark, it had been impossible to tell who the person was, but as she grew closer, she saw moonlight glinting off blonde curls.

_Annabeth._

The small, timid part of her that belonged to normal, mortal-Piper wanted to turn on her heel and march back to the Aphrodite Cabin as soon as she recognized who it was. From what everyone said, Annabeth was taking her boyfriend's disappearance hard, especially after the news that he and Jason had been swapped, and that it was best to leave her alone. She didn't know the daughter of Athena very well, and why she was out on the docks past curfew was none of Piper's business. But the strong and determined part of demigod-Piper won out, and she continued down the dock, her sandals making soft thumps on the creaky wooden planks with every step.

Reaching the end of the dock, Piper sat down next to Annabeth, careful not to slip off the edge. Annabeth either ignored her or was too lost in her thoughts to realize she was there. She cleared her throat tentatively.

"Ah, hey, Annabeth," Piper said lamely, searching for words.

"Hi, Piper," the other half-blood replied, her gray gaze not leaving the softly rolling waves. Her bare toes brushed lightly across the surface of the lake, flicking a few drops of water up every now and then.

"Nice night," Piper weakly attempted at conversation.

"Mhm," Annabeth shrugged. "Full moon."

"How's the water?"

"Cold."

"Ah-ha..." she tried again. "So, what brings you out here?" Another shrug.

"Couldn't sleep. You?"

"Same," she answered, nonchalantly, though inside she cheered. _Three words in less than thirty seconds! I'd call that progress!_ "How do you stand it? Being head counselor and all. It's only my first week, and I'm going crazy keeping everything together!"

"Yeah," Dang, back to one-word answers. She'd have to get to the heart of the matter, fast, before someone caught them breaking curfew.

"What's on your mind?" she asked tentatively.

"Nothing," Annabeth replied, her answer too quick and her eyes too sad to be anything close to the truth.

"Please, I'm a daughter of the love goddess, I can _feel _heartache." Piper countered, the words coming out before she even fully understood them. For a moment, she wondered if that was a little harsh, but it finally got Annabeth to look at her. The vulnerability in her intelligent gray eyes shocked Piper. A newbie she may be, but an idiot she wasn't. Annabeth had a reputation of being strong, physically and emotionally. She was seeing something right now that few people had been privileged to see.

"I miss him," she admitted softly. "Percy. I know how silly, and how stupid I sound, but... I miss him." Piper shook her head, her eyebrows knitting together in a determined frown.

"No, it's not stupid at all. Your boyfriend is on the other half of the country, surrounded by hostile strangers, with no memory of who he is or who _you_ are-" Annabeth's lower lip trembled, and Piper stopped her rambling abruptly. Okay, positive; focus on the positive. _Or, maybe just get her to do the talking..._

"You wanna talk about him?" Piper suggested. Annabeth blinked at her, surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"Y'know, just... about him. Good memories, I guess. Stuff you and Percy did together." At Annabeth's skeptical look, Piper chuckled. "Hey, a little girl-talk never hurt anyone." Damn, Lacy really _was_ starting to rub off on her. Annabeth returned her smile, albeit weakly.

"I suppose," she looked back out at the lake, and for a moment, Piper thought she'd lost herself in her memories again; but after a moment, Annabeth spoke again.

"We didn't start out really well. Athena and Poseidon are rivals, after all, so I figured we were destined to hate each other. But Percy... I dunno why, but he never believed that. Maybe he didn't care about destiny, or was just to stubborn to agree with me on anything," This coaxed a small smile out of the blonde. Piper relaxed somewhat. _Oh yeah, some girl-talk was _exactly_ what the doctor ordered._ "Somehow, he became my most trusted ally... and my closest friend. And, well... it all went from there, I guess." Piper nodded understandingly. That's how things had worked with her and Jason- at least, according to her steadily fading Mist-induced memories. Quickly, she sought to keep the conversation going, thinking back to what she'd heard her sisters- and some of her brothers- giggle about over boys.

"Is he cute?" Startled, Annabeth looked back over at her. Uh-oh, was she overdoing it there? No time for second-guessing. "I mean it, Annabeth, is he cute? What's he look like? Spill!" Annabeth's smile returned, and Piper mentally gave herself a pat on the back.

"He's got this mop of black hair- too long to be considered 'neat', but not too terribly wild. When he smiles, he smiles with his whole face; I can read him like a book. And his eyes are green, like the sea. He's also really sarcastic; we end up arguing over _everything_, but never anything serious," Annabeth's tight smile turned into a smirk. "I usually win; he's such a Seaweed Brain." Piper couldn't keep back a snort.

"He's a what?"

"A Seaweed Brain," she explained. "It's, ah, a nickname I gave him when we first met, back when we were twelve, and it kinda stuck."

"So... do you have a nickname?" Piper asked, smiling mischievously. Annabeth mumbled something under her breath. "What was that?"  
"I said, he calls me Wise Girl," Annabeth repeated, blushing. "I always thought couples nicknaming each other was stupid, but... I like it. It's kinda cute."

"_Very_ cute." the other girl corrected.

"Okay, 'very'." The two demigods smiled at each other, lapsing into an almost comfortable silence. Piper looked up at the clear night sky, observing the constellations, while Annabeth continued to stare out at the sea, her eyes and mind clearly not in the present.

"It's not just his fighting skills that make people follow him," she said suddenly, causing Piper to look back at her. "He's an excellent warrior, don't get me wrong, and he's only gotten better since the River Styx made him invulnerable. People _trust_ Percy. He listens to their ideas, instead of just taking control, and pays attention to everyone's personal strengths. Percy's cocky and reckless when it comes to his own safety, and has a bit of an ego- but he'd never risk another demigod's safety unless it was necessary. That's more than just being a good general; it's being a good leader. He's a Greek warrior, through and through." The words poured out of Annabeth's mouth with such earnest that Piper knew they were getting close to the heart of the problem. Her instincts told her to keep quiet, to sit back and wait.

"It's not fighting skill that makes a true leader- it's compassion. And, that's just not something the Romans have an abundance of. The needs of Roman soldiers weren't taken seriously by their generals; it didn't matter what their skills and weaknesses were, all that mattered was the battle. They chewed them up and spat them back out again, molding them into 'the perfect soldiers'. From what Jason's remembered, the Roman camp doesn't seem much different. Camp Half-Blood isn't like that, and neither is Percy. What if-" Annabeth hesitated, fear creeping into her words, voice barely above a whisper. "What if he's changed by the time we get to him? What if he's not Percy anymore, just another clockwork-soldier? What if he's not the guy I... the guy I love?" The urge to shake the other demigod- hard- suddenly came over Piper.

"Annabeth, look at me." she ordered, her charmspeak slipping into it unconsciously, and, like anyone else, the blonde had to comply. "You're worrying about things we know nothing about. Yeah, the Romans were hard on their men, and the other demigods seem like they are too. But Jason grew up there, and he turned out alright! From what everyone says about Percy, he's pretty tough; those Romans won't know what hit them. We're gonna get your boyfriend back, Annabeth, and we'll get his memory back too." There was so much conviction in her words, Piper found herself believing them, and apparently, so did Annabeth. She sniffled slightly and blinked away some tears that were threatening to sneak their way out. She broke their eye contact and looked away, this time down at her lap rather than the waves.

"You know what makes this all worse?" she asked in a way that clearly said she didn't want an answer. "I knew there was something wrong from the moment I woke up that morning. I-I just _knew_. It was our three month anniversary, did you know that? I know how stupid that sounds, seeing as we hadn't even been dating a full year, but it was special. It was a slice of normal, and we were going to take advantage and celebrate it like any mortal couple. And it was just too god-dammed _perfect_. Usually, we can't even go to a park or catch a movie without some monster trying to kill us- Percy being a child of the Big Three and all, they sense him more than other demigods. But... nothing bad happened. We got all our training and chores done in plenty of time, no new half-bloods showed up and no monsters attacked, and all of my siblings were on their best behavior. That alone should've tipped me off that something wasn't right, but I ignored my instincts." The guilt in her eyes was almost physically painful to watch.

"We spent the rest of the day out here, playing in the water and swimming, or just sitting on the docks. Connor and Travis 'found' some cupcakes to give us, complete with blue frosting- I don't know if they smuggled them in or stole them from the Demeter kids, but it was nice of them either way. Well, not entirely nice; they slipped some extra food coloring into the frosting, and it stained our mouths blue. I mean it- lips, tongue, teeth; all bright blue!" Annabeth's small laugh was a tad hysterical. "Afterward, he put his arms around me and we sat right here, watching the sunset. The perfect end to a perfect day. And... well, you know the rest."

Looking at Annabeth, hearing the full story, Piper thought she might understand this 'love' thing that was so important to her mother after all. Maybe not enough to put it as eloquently as Aphrodite could; but maybe enough to know that it was selfless, and just as beautiful as everyone said. Love could make a person, or break them just as fast.

"You couldn't have done anything, Annabeth. It's not your fault-"

"You think I don't know that?" she snapped angrily, tearing her eyes away from the waves suddenly. "Of course it's not my fault! It's _Hera_; there's no way I could've done a damn thing! I've been training here since I was seven years old! I've fought monsters, and evil spirits, and psychotic demigods! I rebuilt Olympus from scratch! I've even held up the fucking _sky_! I saved the world a hundred times over, but no matter what I did, I just couldn't save him! Do you know what that's like, to feel so god-damned helpless?" Harsh sobs tore from her throat, echoing across the camp grounds. Annabeth folded her legs up to her chest and cried into her knees as Piper stared at her, dumbfounded. On second thought, maybe she didn't know the first thing about the effects of love. _Crap._

She reached out a tentative hand and patted the other girl on the shoulder, feeling the sobs wrack her body.

"It'll be okay, it'll be okay," Piper said gently, over and over, though she was pretty sure Annabeth couldn't hear her. She continued to repeat her mantra a few more times, before her voice died in her throat; she had nothing left to say.

It took a while, but eventually, Annabeth's crying ceased. Slowly, she uncurled herself from her semi-fetal position and rubbed her swollen eyes, sniffling slightly. Gazing out into the distance, she looked at the sky this time, instead of the sea. Piper followed her gaze.

"Nice night," she said softly, and Annabeth nodded.

"Mhm. Full moon."

"How's the water?"

"Cold."

"Ah-ha..." Neither girl looked at the other as they spoke, but both understood; whether you were a daughter of Aphrodite or Athena, or any other god for that matter, girl-talk was never to be brought up again. Either it did it's job, or it didn't- 'nuff said. The two demigods lay down side-by-side on the dock, facing up at the night sky.

"I swear to the gods, Annabeth; we'll get Percy back." Piper promised, and was met with a soft _hmm_ of acknowledgment. Oh well; better than nothing.

They spent the rest of the night staring at the stars, recalling the constellations and the legends associated with them. Annabeth turned out to be an excellent storyteller, and Piper wasn't so bad herself. She told her new-found friend all about the Native American stories her grandfather had loved so much, and Annabeth educated her in the tales of their Greek ancestors (Piper knew most of them already, but that was okay). She even told the tale of Perseus, her boyfriend's namesake, and only choked up a little. And even though her mind was now filled with even more questions and dilemmas than it had been earlier, sprawled out on the dock, Piper at last fell asleep.


End file.
